Dear Life Chef: Butternut Squash Soup

Dear Life Chef,

I love butternut squash. Do you have a good soup recipe using it?

-Hungry in Atlanta

Butternut squash soup is INSANELY EASY so here's a really basic approach to a bowl of yumminess that easily adapted to be vegetarian or vegan. The hardest part is peeling those doggone butternut squashes. But once you peel and seed it, cut it into cubes and cook it in a pot with enough stock (veg or chicken) to cover it by 2-3 inches along with peeled and grated ginger, a couple of bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick and some curry powder. Simmer it long enough for the squash to become tender, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and season with salt and pepper. Next, puree the soup in batches in a blender, dropping in a few chunks of cold butter as you blend to emulsify the soup (extra virgin olive oil would work too). Or if you have an immersion blender (stick blender) this is a great opportunity to use it. If the soup is too thick, carefully add more (hot) stock, water or cream to the blender. If you want a refined soup, strain it before returning it to the pot to heat all the way through. I'll have a full fledged butternut squash soup recipe coming soon!